Electoral Commission attack
The plea from MPs came as Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden also prepared to accuse Chinese state-affiliated companies of being behind a separate set of attacks which hit Britain’s electoral watchdog in 2021.
The Electoral Commission announced last year that it was the subject of the complex cyberattack, in which, it said, its systems were accessed by “hostile actors.” The watchdog said that the personal data of voters had been compromised during the attack.
Dowden is expected to announce retaliatory sanctions against Chinese officials when he addresses the House of Commons Monday afternoon.
Speaking to broadcasters Monday morning, Dowden’s boss Rishi Sunak said China represents the “greatest state-based threat” to the U.K.
“China is behaving in an increasingly assertive way abroad, authoritarian at home, and it represents an epoch-defining challenge and is also the greatest state-based threat to our economic security,” Prime Minister Sunak said.
China has already rejected the claims it targeted British institutions. Asked about them Monday, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian accused London of “spreading disinformation” and said China itself was a victim of cyberattacks.
“Designations of cyberattacks are a highly complex and sensitive issue,” Lin told a press conference. “There should be comprehensive and objective evidence, rather than slandering other countries without any factual support, let alone politicizing cybersecurity issues.
“We call on all sides to stop spreading disinformation,” he added.